Sedona Seduction (Sedona Pack Book 2)

by Lisa Kessler

  He walked out, and my wolf howled. I clutched my head in my hands and choked on a sob. How could I make the wolf understand that our mate had betrayed us? She had chosen the wrong man.

  And so had I.

  CHAPTER 11

  Vance

  I peeled out of the Red Coyote’s parking lot, running from the pain cracking my chest wide open. It took her hating me for me to understand what she really meant to me. I was a fucking idiot about everything.

  Now I was alone, and I damned well deserved it.

  Maybe that’s why I never told her the truth. Guilt kept me from having the intimate relationship I really wanted, but I still got to make her smile, to hear her laugh. The truth would have stolen what little part of her I had.

  I was greedy when it came to Kaya. She made me believe I might be more than a killer, like I deserved more than all the death that surrounded me for most of my life. Although she’d been born a shifter, then bitten and converted into a hybrid, nothing could steal her dream of owning her own restaurant. The massive curves life threw at her made no difference. Her determination inspired me.

  I’d never met a braver person, and being near her gave me a dangerous gift. Hope. I’d never dared to allow it in until she came into my life. No matter how dark the days had been after she’d been bitten, she had never abandoned her dreams. Even her encouragement to buy the rock shop and adopt a dog had changed my life in ways I had never imagined.

  And now I’d fucked her life up all over again.

  I ground my teeth, punching the gas pedal harder as I made the tight turns up the highway toward Flagstaff. Trager hadn’t responded yet to let me know who knew about Kaya, but I couldn’t wait any longer. Every second that ticked by was another chance for Duane to expose her secret.

  This needed to end now.

  It wouldn’t erase what I’d done, but it would protect Kaya. Then I could walk away. Maybe I’d go back to Australia. I hadn’t been back since I was eighteen.

  My phone buzzed on the passenger seat. I slowed a little as I glanced at the name. Asher. I frowned, putting him on speaker as I gripped the wheel tighter.

  “Yeah?”

  “Meet me at the ranch.” The Alpha’s power, the compulsion to obey his orders, colored every word, making the animal in me yearn to comply.

  I shook it off, blinking my eyes hard as I negotiated the next turn in the road. “Can’t right now, mate. I’ll come by in the morning.”

  “That’ll be too late.” Asher’s tone deepened. “Kaya called me. She’ll meet you here.”

  Hearing her name dredged up emotions I’d been struggling to bottle up. “Tell her I’m sorry.”

  I ended the call before he shook my determination. This had to happen. The pain in Kaya’s eyes, the betrayal, was unbearable. I couldn’t let another day pass without rectifying the mistakes I’d made.

  My phone buzzed again, but I didn’t answer. I reached over and turned off the ringer. It had been years since I went dark, but slipping back into the assassin mindset was second nature. Maybe it always would be.

  Five miles to Flagstaff.

  My pulse was steady, and I took slow, deep breaths through my nose until my heightened senses were keenly aware of every movement outside. A mile outside the city limits, I parked in a rest area and got out of my car, stretching my back. Ripples of the jaguar’s strength pinged through my muscles.

  I bent down, retrieving my cell phone from the seat without checking the notifications. After stuffing it into my pocket, I opened the trunk and put on my shoulder holster and my black leather jacket. Next, I filled my pockets with loaded clips of ammunition. My silencer went in the inside my jacket, while I scanned the rest of my weapons cache.

  Even with a silencer, the jaguar shifters would be able to hear the shot once the bullet hit its target. If I could get to Duane without firing, I’d have a better chance of reaching my objective without being noticed.

  I grabbed my knife, adding it to my belt, and then slid my hands into black gloves. Opening and closing my fingers, I warmed the soft leather until it became a silent second skin. I slammed the trunk closed and jogged into the darkness of the forest toward the remote satellite facility.

  The threat to Kaya would be eliminated by morning. Or I would. Either way, this pain in my heart and soul would end. I’d right my wrong or die trying.

  I ground my teeth and kept running.

  CHAPTER 12

  Kaya

  “Dammit.” I ended the call and looked over at Asher. “Right to voice mail. He’s going to get himself killed.”

  We were still at the ranch. My hands trembled at my sides. I wasn’t sure if I was more pissed at Vance or more terrified I might never see him again. I definitely felt both.

  Asher nodded to Shane, Ryker, and Gage. “Let’s go. We’ll be a half hour behind him, but if we’re lucky, maybe we can drag his ass out of this mess.”

  “I’m going with you.” I started for the door. “I’ve got my gun in the glove box.”

  “No.” Asher shook his head. “I need you to stay here and help Naomi protect the little ones.”

  Usually, I didn’t have a problem with that duty. I loved all the boys, and because I could shift into the lynx in the blink of an eye, I could defend them without a gun. But tonight, my mate was in danger, and my wolf demanded we protect him.

  In the next room, Gage’s twin boys giggled at Finding Nemo with Bart and Ben.

  I lowered my voice, narrowing my eyes at my Alpha. “I’m not staying behind.”

  Asher sighed, shaking his head. “You’re the reason he’s up there. If he sees you in danger, he could make a mistake.”

  I bit my lip to keep from blurting out that Vance was my mate. I hadn’t even told him yet. I couldn’t blurt it out to our Alpha. Naomi suspected, and maybe she had already told Asher—probably, rather.

  “Dex and Deacon are out patrolling the property. They can help Naomi watch the kids. Call Cole and Jett in as backup if you need to, but I’m going with you.”

  He tried to stare me down. I didn’t blink. This was not up for discussion. Asher was my Alpha and my wolf instinctively wanted to obey his commands, but Vance was my mate. Apparently that trumped the pull of my Alpha. The wolf snarled in my soul.

  Finally, Asher broke eye contact, cursing under his breath. “This is a bad idea. You have to stay behind us. Vance can’t know you’re there.”

  There was no way I was hiding behind the men, but I agreed anyway. Fighting was wasting precious time.

  Asher parked beside Vance’s car at the rest area. The satellite facility was deep in the forest, so this was the closest place to leave our cars without drawing any attention. It was our best hope to get in without being noticed. As soon as I got out of Asher’s Jeep, I caught Vance’s scent, and the wolf came alive, clawing its way into my consciousness. Having the animal so close to the surface was unfamiliar territory. I had grown up with the lynx—she had always been a part of me—but the wolf was new, aggressive, and very protective of her mate.

  “Kaya,” Asher called from the other side of the Jeep, “you’re with me. Watch my back.”

  I crossed my arms. “I’m here to help, not to hide behind a bunch of wolves. I’m perfectly capable of protecting myself.”

  “I know, but if we’re going to get Vance out alive, we need him to stay focused. That won’t happen if you’re in danger.”

  His tone was rich with the Alpha wolf’s power, compelling my obedience, but my wolf growled in answer. I was with her on calling out this testosterone-fueled bullshit; however, fighting would waste more time. Once we found Vance, I’d do whatever was necessary, even if it meant defying my Alpha.

  I nodded. “All right.”

  Satisfied, Asher turned to Ryker and Shane. “I want you two to scout ahead. We don’t know if they have guards outside watching the perimeter. If they do, we’ll have to take them out first.” He glanced over at Gage. “You brought your sight for the rifle?”

 
Gage had been fresh out of Special Forces when he was bitten. He’d been trained as a sniper, and his heightened werewolf senses made him even deadlier. Right now, his expression was hardened—nothing like the fun-loving single dad I was used to seeing.

  He patted the pocket of his utility vest. “Got it.”

  “Good.” Asher scanned the woods. “I want to you stay behind us. Find a good vantage point to watch the door. If we can get Vance out, you’ll need to keep them from following us.” Asher’s gaze landed on me again. “When we find him, you’re going have to talk him down from this suicide mission. I tried commanding him as the Alpha, and I think we can all see how useful that was.”

  “You’re giving me too much credit.” I sucked in another breath, aching to chase after Vance. “I told him not to go after Duane alone, too.”

  Ryker drew his gun. “Last question… If we scout ahead and find something, how should we alert you? Will you have your phone handy for a text or—”

  “I’ll know.” Asher stared him down.

  Which was a feat, because of everyone on this mission, Ryker was the biggest. The man was built like Schwarzenegger with a side of burly werewolf.

  “Can you read our minds or something?” Ryker asked.

  “Or something,” Asher replied.

  Ryker shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

  He and Shane nodded to each other and vanished into the woods.

  Asher looked over at me. “Ready?”

  “Yeah,” I said with a nod.

  Gage stepped up on my other side. “Me too.”

  “Let’s go.” Asher took about two steps and froze. His nostrils flared, but his gaze was…distant.

  I crept past him and peered back over my shoulder. He didn’t move. I frowned. “Asher? Are you all right?”

  He blinked, shaking his head. “Sorry. Yeah, I’m okay. I know where to find Vance.”

  Maybe he could read his pack members’ minds?

  “Come on. We need to hurry.” He sprinted into the forest, and I followed close behind, Gage still right beside me.

  We ran nearly a mile away from the road before the satellite facility came into view. Asher grabbed my arm and stopped on a dime. “This way,” he whispered.

  I didn’t pretend to know what the hell was happening with my Alpha, but I trusted him, and my wolf did too, so we didn’t hesitate or question. Silently, the three of us jogged south, keeping the building in sight.

  Asher pointed to a tree. “Gage, can you take a shot from up there?”

  Gage narrowed his eyes, looking from the tree branches to the building below. Finally, he nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Good. Cover us,” Asher ordered.

  Gage climbed the giant pine as if it were nothing more than jogging up a flight of stairs. Asher waited for him to brace himself in the branches before he looked my way. “Vance is still alive.”

  I searched his eyes. “How do you know?”

  “Later.” He tipped his head toward the building. “Let’s bring him home first.”

  We knelt behind the sagebrush, scanning the area before sprinting closer. As we scrambled for shelter, gunshots cracked the silence.

  Asher’s nostrils flared. “They’re okay. That should draw the jaguars out.”

  “How do you know?” I whispered. “Shouldn’t we circle back?”

  His dark eyes met mine. “No.”

  Something was up with Asher, but right now, Vance was my top priority so I dropped it, continuing around the building. Half a dozen armed men ran toward the woods, guns drawn. Once they were out of sight, Asher nudged me. “Let’s go.”

  Vance’s scent grew stronger with every step, but suddenly there was also something else, too.

  Blood.

  I sucked in a slow breath. It wasn’t Vance’s blood, but it was fresh.

  Before I could track the scent, Asher gripped my shoulder, his voice a hushed whisper. “Not yet.”

  I narrowed my eyes, jerking away from his touch. “He’s in there because of me. I’m not hanging back in the shadows to see if he makes it out.”

  “You’ll be no help to him dead.” He searched my eyes. “Give him time.”

  He was right, logical even, but right now my heart was in charge, and I couldn’t lose Vance. No way. Besides, if anyone was going to kick Vance’s ass, it was going to me.

  “I’m going in closer.” I turned toward the building. “You can cover me, or get out of my way.”

  CHAPTER 13

  Vance

  Shots rang out from the woods. I didn’t need night vision goggles to see the armed agents spilling out of the satellite facility. Some faces I recognized, others were strangers, but none of them was Duane Clarkson.

  I waited behind a boulder outside the building, waiting for a break in the action. Patience and a cool head had kept me alive so many times before it was now second nature, a skin I could slip into more easily than I wished. I wanted to believe I had put my life as an assassin behind me. Maybe not as far as I hoped. A gust of wind hit me, carrying a scent I recognized instantly.

  Werewolves. Shit. Had Asher brought the pack up here?

  I shook off the shock, fighting to stay focused. They could protect themselves. They weren’t my responsibility, not tonight.

  I scanned the area. Nothing moved. This was my moment.

  Drawing my gun, I sprinted through the doors. The bare concrete floor of the hall allowed me to move silently into the bowels of the facility. I’d been inside once before to help Asher rescue Naomi, but I was far from knowing my way around the place. If Duane was leading them now, his office likely wouldn’t be on the first floor. He’d be on one of the lower floors, well hidden from the rest of the world. Well guarded, too. Natasha was probably close by to handle that part. She’d been Antonio Severino’s gatekeeper at Nero headquarters and was as deadly as she was beautiful. Naomi had tangled with her when they brought her here a few months ago. If I could avoid Natasha, I would.

  I glanced at the elevator but decided the stairs were a better option. I pulled the door open, and the coppery stench of blood immediately assaulted my senses. I froze, raising my gun before creeping farther onto the landing. I looked around slowly, keeping my weapon up and ready. I peered over the railing to the lower level landing. My stomach roiled. The familiar scent was undeniable. There, at the bottom of the first flight of stairs, was Trager, sitting in a puddle of crimson.

  “Fuck.” I holstered my gun as I raced down the steps. Crouching beside him, I checked for a pulse.

  He knocked my hand away. “I’m not fucking dead yet.”

  Relief washed through me. “We need to get you out of here, mate.”

  He lifted his head, exposing his blackened eye, split lip, and battered forehead. “Duane knows we’ve been talking.”

  “Another reason to get you far from this place.”

  He rested his head back against the wall. “We both know how this ends. Leave me and get your girl someplace safe.”

  I clenched my jaw, eyeing the stab wound in his gut. “I’m not leaving you behind.”

  “You’ve lived with wolves too long.” He smirked, his bloody teeth a testament to the beating they’d given him before they fucking stabbed him. “We work alone, remember?”

  Duane could have put a bullet in Trager’s head. The bastard knew we couldn’t risk taking Trager to a hospital, and he also knew sentencing Trager to a long painful death would slow me down. All our training told me I should leave him here. I couldn’t save him anyway. As a trained agent for Nero, I understood this. But I wanted to believe I wasn’t that guy anymore.

  “Sorry, mate. You’re coming with me.” I wrapped his arm around my shoulders and lifted both of us to our feet.

  Trager groaned in protest, but he was vertical. I eyed the stairs and shook my head. No way he could walk up, even with my help.

  “This is gonna hurt like hell.” I bent my knees and hoisted him onto my shoulder. My legs trembled with the effort. Trager probably outweighe
d me by at least twenty pounds, but we were stronger than ordinary men and I was not going to let him die with his enemies. Hell, if I could, he wouldn’t die at all.

  I cracked the door at the landing, peering into the hallway. The elevator opened and a man dressed in black exited with a gun in his hand.

  “Hall’s clear, sir,” he whispered into his headset. “Maybe he’s still in the woods with the wolves.”

  I counted to five to see if anyone else came out of the elevator. They didn’t. He was alone, and I was carrying an injured man. As far as I was concerned, I still had the upper hand. I pushed through the door, knowing full well the scent of Trager’s blood would alert my target to our presence.

  The agent stopped. I drew the knife from my belt, slowing my breathing and imagining that time itself slowed with me. Ice filled my veins as the agent turned around. I launched the dagger before he could make a sound. The blade hit him right in the heart. His mouth gaped as he fell to the ground.

  I grabbed the handle as we passed by, wiping the blade clean on my pants before holstering it again. As I reached the door, a new scent teased my nostrils.

  Kaya.

  The chill in my veins faltered, jerking me out of my the frosty kill zone I had been in. I moved as fast as I could through the doors and into the night, trying not to jostle Trager too much. Gunfire deafened my ears, and a bullet whizzed past me toward the building. When we made it to the edge of the woods, I slowed my pace, following her scent.

  She was crouching by the same boulder I’d taken cover behind earlier, her gun at the ready. Behind me, two agents lay motionless on the ground.

  Kaya frowned. “Who is that? What happened?”

  “This is Trager. My inside man.” I knelt down, carefully lying him on the ground.

  He wheezed, and his eyelids fluttered. “Duane told…” He coughed, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.